Category: Whispers (Page 106 of 164)

Dear Ones,

   Hope you wake to the joy of a new day of grace. The question for today is: Have you ever experienced God’s love flowing through you to give to someone that you did not love in your own strength? If you have, you also know it is not your love but His! 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

   How many of us like to be stretched and taken out of our comfort zone?  Would we rather want to be comfortable and live our life as we please without a lot of effort?  But life lived with the Lord is not same old, same old but one of change and transformation as we decrease and He increases. That means often a change in how we think and how we behave and what our priorities are.

   It seems Jesus summed it up in a double commandment to love God with all our hearts souls and minds and our neighbor as ourself (Deut. 6:5) which is vertical and horizontal love. I am reading another book by Michael Casey, who writes of the importance of putting nothing before the love of Christ and loving others but we cannot do this in our own power. If you think you can, try loving an unlovable person in your own power, you will fail. I know that from experience.

   The law cannot force us to have a positive loving attitude towards someone else, but it may keep us from killing them. It cannot force us to reverence them. We can only receive freedom to love God and others by the Spirit.

   This love is a gift of God who pours His love into us and not something we can conjure up; we can only open ourselves to the receiving of His love in the core of our being. As it says in Rom 5:5, “For the love of God has been poured forth in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” He helps us see others through a lens of love that is past their weaknesses and failings. This only comes from Him as we draw near to Him.

   Don’t beat yourself up when you lack love for someone else who may even be close to you, but draw closer to the Lord and let Him pour his agape love into your heart. As we receive His unconditional love deep within, we desire to return that love and also to love others. Like Casey says, we learn to love by accepting love. His love is measureless and will never run out. Let us quit struggling to love in our own power, with our own puny love, and be transformed as we receive the fullness of the love He is desiring to pour into us. Then we will have to give to others out of the overflow.

  Challenge for today: Open your heart in a new way to receive His love and let Him transform you from the inside out.

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

 Dear Ones,                                                                                                                                                                Hope you had a wonderful weekend.  Today is sunny and nice and able to have the windows open and no A.C.  I baked brownies, cleaned my spice cupboard, and went to Exersize class this morning.                                                                                                          Devotions from Judy’s heart                                                                                                                           Don’t we love to be around grateful people as they are upbeat and positive and exude joy. It’s not that they deny they have struggles but they focus on the good and are thankful.                                                                                                                                                        I have been reading what Pastor Mark Roberts from Fuller Seminary had to say about Colossians 3 as it is a chapter that I memorized a long time ago. He points out things I have missed as he takes it word by word in verses 12-17. I see that Paul tells us in 3 consecutive verses to be thankful (verse 13), to have gratitude in our hearts (verse 15) and to give thanks to God. (verse17). He does not want us to take things for granted or be known to be complainers. That is not becoming to a child of God. Christians should be the most joyful people of all for we have been forgiven and set free and have eternity with the Lord awaiting us. Paul must have focused on that for when he writes about being grateful, he is in a cold prison in Rome and was not surrounded by any comforts.                                                                                 But sometimes we all need reminders periodically to be thankful and to remember that all our gifts and blessings are from the Lord. That helps us not only to be joyful but healthier as well.  Some situations we may not feel grateful for at all when going through it, but we can thank the Lord He is with us in it. Often later we can give him thanks from a grateful heart, as we see the good He has been working in our hearts through the hard experience.                                                                             We need the power of the Holy Spirit to keep our focus on the positive and not give in to complaining and feeling sorry for ourselves. Let us live each day expressing gratitude, and giving thanks to the One who gave us all things! Today I am especially thanking the Lord for my husband and for each day He gives us to love and to serve the Lord together.                                                                                            Challenge for today: What are you most grateful for today? Thank Him!                               Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Hope you are having a good weekend. It is raining out now but not storming. This morning I baked cookies on a stick and cleaned the apartment before Kurt stopped by on his way home from the lake. Was so good to catch up.

. Devotions from Judy’s heart

  I’m quite sure we have all be in situations where one person does all the talking. We listen and listen and get weary of what may seem to be empty words and no chance to interject comments. Al and I remarked to each other, after getting together with a couple we hadn’t seen for a couple years… they never asked us one question but only talked about their own family. They went home never knowing more than what they came with.

   In talking we all must be careful that what we say and to guard our mouths for Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount in Luke 6:45 (ESV), “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” By our speech, others see what is hidden inside us…it spills out in our words, as well as, our actions. Our words should be truthful and humble and gentle and uplifting and not full of empty words and gossip. Let us not fall in love with the sound of our own voice!             

    I was reading what Michael Casey, a monk from Australia had to say of what a good conversationalist is. He doesn’t do all the talking but draws others out; he listens with empathy to what is said and appreciates where the other person comes from. He practices self-restraint and respects the one who is speaking. We may be surprised of what God can teach us through others, if we stop talking and listen.

    How about at church are we good listeners when the gospel is read or the pastor is preaching, are we really paying attention or is our mind elsewhere?

    If we are honest most of us need to listen more and speak less; perhaps that is why we have two ears and one mouth! We can hear what is being said when we stop talking and make room to welcome what others are saying.

 David said in Psalm 39:2-3 that he would guard his mouth with a muzzle so he would not sin with his tongue.

 Challenge for today: Be aware of when you interrupt others and listen to them with an open heart.

Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

  More rain and thunder this morning  and now it is starting to clear up for the weekend fishermen. We saw a beautiful rainbow  about 6 am. I studied this morning, made soup and Al and I went to Costco for the Birthday cake. I have the tables set up and decorated for the 4th of July and soon we will have the party. 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

   Sometimes we just know it is the Lord! Maybe we walk out of a meeting or a service and we have such a vivid awareness that the Lord was present and we are filled with a sense of awe.

 I felt that way yesterday as we had our weekly Bible study here at Northern Living. We had only 11 residents present as some were out of town and others that had engagements; so we closely gathered around a long table and Al began our study. We had left off in John 17:20 as Jesus had just prayed to His Father before He leaves this world. But then He goes on to pray for us to be one as He and His Father are one. The Message translation says, “The goal is for all of them to becomes one heart and mind-just as you Father, are in me and I in you, so that they might be one heart and mind with us… The same glory you gave me, I gave them, so they’ll be as unified and together as we are— I in them and you in me.”

   Isn’t Jesus’ picture of unity beautiful as He desires for us to have one heart and mind and not to be divided? That is what He prayed and what He longs for all of us. Al went on to ask each of us to share our individual beginnings with the Lord and what churches we grew up in and where we are at now. It was interesting how diverse we all are and even ages varied from 63 to 94! None of us are in the same church as the others present, and even though we may have started out as a Baptist, we may have ended up Methodist etc. But since we all have the same Heavenly Father, we are family, and are accepted and loved. We can be who He created us to be not try to change one another. Denominations and age are not important, but only that we worship the same Lord and walk together in oneness.

   After Bible Study as I walked back to our apaartment, I felt like surely the presence of the Lord filled the community room we were in. It made me think of the song by Lanny Wolfe: “Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place/ I can feel His mighty power and His grace/ I can hear the brush of angel’s wings/ I can see glory on each face/ Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place.”

   Each time we gather together in unity with other Christians may we recognize His presence in our midst!

   Challenge for today: Seek to be in oneness with other Christian brothers and sisters!

Blessings on  your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Hope you are having a peacefilled day. This morning I made cookies for Al and a veggie stir fry and went down for donuts. This afternoon we have Bible study here and we will soon be through the book of John. It’s another beautiful day for a walk on the trail and the wild flowers are so pretty.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

  Haven’t we all heard people say that they wished they had the life of someone who outwardly seemed to have a golden life…no big problems or setbacks but just rather a life of ease. It is very unlikely that it is true of another for we only perceive from afar. Life is not all happiness and peace but it is also about sadness and suffering. In fact, there are coffee cups that are imprinted with the words, “Life is hard and then you die!”

   It is true that life can be very hard and right now the people in Ukraine have had their lives turned upside down and have nowhere to call home. There is suffering all over the world and it is the most universal human experience. Just because we know the Lord doesn’t mean we get a pass from sufferings but rather a way to go through them with the Good Shepherd by our side.

   When we walk through the worst times of our lives, we may discover what is most important in our lives, and Who is most important. It can be a time of cleansing as we ask the Lord to remove those things within us that are pulling us down and putting distance between us. We become more aware of God’s grace to us and realize how dependent we are on Him. Even when we fall, we fall into His hands, so even our hard experience can draw us closer.

   God is not absent or removed when the worst happens to us, but rather this can become a time we experience Him in a closer deeper way. We share in His sufferings and know what it means to endure the cross as Jesus did. For all who know the Lord, we have Someone to walk with us through those times and then look forward to an eternity with Him.

  Like Saint Bernard said in 1134, “If sadness were our continual state, who could bear it? If, on the other hand, things always went well, then who would not think little of them?” When we experience both, he said the joys are more appreciated and difficulties more readily endured.

  No matter what happens in our lives, let us say, as with the Psalmist in Ps. 71:14 (Amplified). “But I will hope continually, and will praise You yet more and more.”

   Challenge for today: Ask the Lord to help you hope and rejoice in Him in all of life circumstances.

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Yesterday I wrote some personal e-mails and forgot to put this one on the webs site. Some of you will get this for the second time but others of you got nothing yesterday. Sorry.

 

Hope you  wake with your eyes wide open to what the Lord has to teach you today? The question for today is: What lessons have you learned in the past, from His creation? 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

  The Lord has so much to teach us through all that He has made and we can learn much if our hearts are open and teachable. I remember when we lived at the lake and I often went berry picking, how many lessons the Lord taught me as I picked raspberries and blackberries. I would go home and write it all down and often more insights would come.

  Recently, I read what Steve Porter, founder of Refuge Ministries and Deeper Life press, learned as he asked the Lord what lessons he could glean from the Blue Jay. He had a special love for birds, passed down from his grandma, and his yard was full of bird feeders, bird houses, and bird baths. Now Blue Jays have never been my favorite birds as I often looked at them as noisy, squawking birds that chase away others. But as it says in Gen 1:21, “He created all the many living things in the sea and every kind of bird that flies in the air. And God saw that it was good.

   I never knew before all the good qualities of the resourceful Blue Jay. They are highly intelligent and know how to solve problems, can mimic the calls of other birds like the hawk, know how to store food and can recall where they have placed thousands of seeds and retrieve them. They know just the right place to build their nests in a safe location etc.

   Porter writes how they are brave, aggressive fearless warriors and will attack their enemies without hesitating. They even dive bomb if an enemy tries to invade their territory and will do anything to protect their young and won’t retreat. The Lord wants us to be strong like that and not back down or be afraid of the enemy. He will give us courage to fight for He is with us to defeat the enem

   Blue Jays also are like an alarm that warns other birds and animals of any threats, so they have time to get to safety. We also are to sound the alarm when we foresee an attack of the enemy coming and warn those in the Body of Christ. Together we can stand strong and be encouraged.

  These birds are very intelligent problem solvers and resourceful. They can recall every location of their hiding places. We too, as Christ’s Bride, can ask God for wisdom and He will give it to us generously to help us know what actions to take, and how to stand strong. 

   Blue Jays are curious and attentive and may follow us where we go, as a welcoming sign. We are also to be interested in others and compassionate, with our focus on God. Our lives are to display His love and to help the needy, giving loving care to them. Porter goes on to write how the Lord is raising up a Bride who cares what He cares about and who will overcome the enemy and stand together. May we become just like that learn from the Blue Jay.

  Challenge for today: Ask God to teach you something through His creation and write down the lessons you learn.

Blessings on  your day and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

  Happy weekend! We are getting packed and will eat an early lunch and head to the cabin today.We are going to stop to see a friend in assisted living on the way and then on to the lake as our grandson is waiting for a hot scrabble game. We plan to hear Leif preach tomorrow and then have Father’s Day celebration for dinner. 

 Devotions from Judy’s heart

   Happy Father’s Day tomorrow to all the dads out there! Being a father is a tough job! Dad’s today are facing many challenges as our culture is changing dramatically. Many boys have absent fathers and the results are staggering as many are failing to grow up and become responsible, have addictions, join gangs, and commit crimes.

  I was blessed with a loving father that lived to be 100 years old but resides in heaven now. I am thankful for him and miss him, but not all of you reading this had a father who was there for you. I read an article on Crosswalk.com from Clarence Haynes Jr. who wrote empowering prayers for dads. If your dad was absent maybe your prayer is simply, “Thank you God that you used my dad to give me life.”

   If you are going to be a new father maybe Haynes words could be your prayer today:

“Lord, help me as I begin my journey into fatherhood. Even though I look forward to fatherhood, I face it with excitement and trepidation. Help me to know I can trust in you, and you will be with me on this journey. Remind me often that I don’t have to be perfect, but most importantly I need to be present in the life of my child. Give me new patience and new grace as I walk a road I have never walked before. However, I thank you that you have gone before me and will help me navigate these waters. Help me from day one to set the right example so my child will see you in me and will long for the God I serve to be present in their life. Amen.”

 Or maybe you are an aging father you might pray:

“Lord, as I grow older and the seasons of life have changed, I thank you for my children. You have given me the privilege to raise them, and I have seen them grow into adulthood. My prayer is for them as they must now walk in steps that I had to walk in. Give them grace for the journey and help me to adjust in my new role not just as father, but as friend. Help me to always be the encourager, reminding them to keep their eyes on you and to continue to help them be the person you created them to be. It has been an honor to be their father. Now help me to finish my journey strong. Amen.”

  Or all of you dads may want to pray:

“Lord, give me strength to be a dad today. More importantly help me to recognize my strength comes only from you. Help me to wait before you and to completely trust you because it is in this place that I will find strength. Help me not to run from my weaknesses but to embrace them and bring them to you, because when I am weak before you, I will stand strong before everyone else.”

   Blessings to all of you fathers as your special day is celebrated tomorrow.

  Challenge for today: Thank the Lord for your earthly father and remember you have a Heavenly Father who loves you most of all.. 

Blessings, prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

‘Happy weekend and hope you are enjoying this beautiful day. This morning I cleaned the apartment and made 2 Mexican pies and a blueberry breakfast cake. We called our granddaughter and sang to her on her 18th birthday. Tomorrow we are going to the lake!!

Devotions from Judy’s heart

   One of the greatest fears people have today is loneliness. It doesn’t seem to matter if we are married or single, in a room with a lot of people or by ourselves at home, there can be a sense of loneliness. Of course, we all feel lonely at times but God can use those times in our lives to draw us closer to him. I read what Cindi McMenamin, pastor’s wife, author, and speaker, wrote about loneliness. Perhaps we can all gain from her thoughts of how to stay encouraged when we feel life is lonely.

  First of all, we can use the time to connect with the Body of Christ and interact with other believers. After an evening of fellowship, we may go home cheered and spiritually uplifted; as it says in Heb 10:24 -25 we are to be inventive in encouraging love and helping one another.

   Second, we can also look for ways to serve others and focus on them rather than our selves. When the focus is off of us it seems to draw others to us as they see we are caring for them.

   Third, we may also seek a mentor to help us through our lonely time. When God gives us someone to pour into our lives, then we can also pour out into others. Cindi said it is good to have someone on the right that spiritually lifts us up but also someone on our left that we can help and grow together.

   Fourth, we can offer to mentor someone younger than us and share our life and wisdom with them. One day a friend asked me to mentor her, but I think I received just as much or more from our relationship.

   Fifth, we can also allow our pain and loneliness to serve a greater purpose. Maybe we are new in the church and feel rather like an outsider. We can find others who are also new and connect with them. Or if we are a young mom, we can join with other moms for times of fellowship that include our children.

  Sixth, we can start a gratitude journal and thank the Lord daily for all the things we are grateful for. As we add to it each day our hearts get encouraged and we see things in a positive light.”

   Last of all she said to use the season of loneliness to draw us closer to the Lord. He is the one who is always with us and it is He who will give us the love and closeness we are seeking. May we not fear loneliness but simply go deeper with Him.

  Challenge for today: Start a gratitude journal and find something each day that you are thankful for.

Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy